


But some of us are looking at the stars

by acaramelmacchiato



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Gen, I'll never be free of the shame, M/M, banging the vanguard six, cosmonaut shit, i'm literally so unclear what the winter soldier's job is, just another day at the office for the winter soldier, just to make sure they're really committed, space is peripherally involved which adds to the shame, vostok program
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-18
Updated: 2014-04-18
Packaged: 2018-01-19 20:30:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,230
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1482889
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/acaramelmacchiato/pseuds/acaramelmacchiato
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>If you've been thirsty for Winter Soldier/Yuri Gagarin boy do I have the fanfiction for you. May 1960, the Winter Soldier gets a typical "sleep with these people to prove their loyalty" mission in Star City.</p>
            </blockquote>





	But some of us are looking at the stars

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Sath](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sath/gifts).



Nikolai Kamanin was a quiet-voiced and soldierly person who bore a mild resemblance to Winston Churchill, a similarity emphasized by the cigar in his left hand. 

The Winter Soldier observed him noncommittally: He sat in his office in the Tsentr Podgotovki Kosmonavtov like he was king of it, putting the cigar on the saucer of his teacup carefully before he repeated himself:

“There is a level of commitment that goes beyond the army or the navy. Beyond aviator or comrade or patriot.”

“Rightful caution,” said the KGB apparatchik who accompanied the Winter Soldier. He was in awe of Kamanin for his gold star medal as much as his reputation, and he was transparent in his attempts to prove himself keen and professional. 

“Commitment beyond the fraternal. More than filial. Will these men do anything for their country? It is essential that they will. We are looking for that intangible element and we need proof of it,” Kamanin continued.

“Have you thought about an essay contest?” asked the Winter Soldier.

“A reasonable question,” said the Colonel General, and then he picked up the cigar again. “But it’s too far gone for that. Here we are in Star City, and things are out of my hands. Either these men are satisfactory -- by which I mean, extraordinary in their loyalty, eager in sacrifice,” Kamanin shrugged, and then to make his point more vividly he made a motion with his cigar across his throat. “Well, if they aren't there's no going back but there's also no going up.”

“Do you have authorization to use lethal force?” the apparatchik asked. “I haven’t seen it go through, unfortunately. It has to be filed through Chairman Shelepin and the CPSU as well.”

“I have it,” said the old aviator, proudly, and the red ribbon of the Order of Lenin on his chest caught the light.

“Of course,” said the apparatchik. “What other reason to involve the Winter Soldier?"

"I hope I'm being clear," said Kamanin. "I'd prefer he get the final act of commitment from them, if he kills them we have a lot of time to make up," Kamanin flipped over a typewritten sheet of paper bearing the names Bykovskiy, Gagarin, Nelyubov, Nikolayev, Popovich, and Titov.

“Six,” said the Winter Soldier, and in the silence following that he raised his eyebrows. "Six men."

“Might we haggle you down to three?” asked the apparatchik.

“It’s not a negotiation, it is a matter of national security,” said Kamanin, and then he put his cigar in his mouth. Smoke rose as he looked at the Winter Soldier, first with intensity and then with scrutiny. “Anyway, I’d do it,” he paused, and for the first time he looked embarrassed, so he said: “There’s nothing I would not do for my country, that is. Start with Gagarin.”

 

* * *

 

 

Sleeping with candidates for highest-level and top-secret clearance to ascertain their ultimate loyalty was a common, and escalating, aspect of the Winter Soldier's unique and extrajudicial function. This notoriety which had started in the Politburo had bled into a kind of organizational laziness where this free and almost superstitious option was slightly more desirable than an extensive vet. 

And so the Winter Soldier, alone, went to the barracks apartments in Frunze to find out just what Yuri Gagarin would do for his free motherland and his dream of rocketing into the deadly and useless environment above it. 

The cosmonaut candidate had a charming and offhand manner, and he was kind about what might have been even an offensive test of commitment, though he laughed with embarrassment when he mentioned it, offering immediately to make the Winter Soldier tea to regain his footing. He smiled uncomfortably but engagingly.

He was shorter even than the Winter Soldier had anticipated, which was a desirable quality in a cosmonaut.

In every way he gave the impression of a nervous but resolute young person whose eager patriotism was almost -- but not even fully -- infectious.

“Sorry again for the mess,” said Gagarin. And then: “Would you like to see anything? My diary, or my reading material? I have a newspaper every morning, but honestly I don’t like to spend much time doing nothing. If that helps you.”

“No,” said the Winter Soldier.

“OK then,” said Gagarin, and bit out a grin that glittered with bravado. His morning newspaper was indeed half-read next to his tea service. He took off his necktie and put it on his bed.

"OK then," said the Winter Soldier. 

 —-

Gagarin finished with efficiency and perfect good manners, though he was whistling “The Motherland Hears, The Motherland Knows” through the whole event and had his eyes locked on the red star on the Winter Soldier's shoulder.

He even gave the Winter Soldier a comradely slap on the back before he sought out his pants.

“How do I rate?” Gagarin asked. 

“Adequately,” said the Winter Soldier, thinking about it. Next to most of the Politburo -- Gagarin would be overconfident hearing how he rated. “Next time, don’t whistle.”

“I’ll make myself a note.”

The Winter Soldier handed him his uniform shirt. "It won't come up again."

“Have you ever thought about it?” asked Gagarin, and because he was looking up at the ceiling of the room and generally obsessed with the idea of manned space flight, the Winter Soldier intuited that he was talking about outer space. 

“No,” said the Winter Soldier, though he was thinking about it after the mention. It did not appeal. It was expensive enough to run a city, let alone a country, and here everyone could breathe the air. 

“Too tall?” asked Gagarin, and eyed him with a squint, then grinned, trying to disarm the Winter Soldier's cooling manner: “Not by much.”

“By a lot,” said the Winter Soldier, quickly, and had to stop himself from taking a look through Gagarin's reading material retributively.

 Gagarin laughed, and then he said: “Well. OK. You play ice hockey?”

“No,” said the Winter Soldier.

“Basketball?”

“No.”

“Well. Nice to meet you. Thanks for the -- well I'm happy it went so well. What do you say, do I get a good report?”

The Winter Soldier by now had been through the newspaper and yesterday’s, and was headed for the door. “Nothing that will prevent you from going to space,” he said, and left Yuri Gagarin alone and alive in his apartment.

—-

The Winter Soldier was given the name Yuri Gagarin again in 1969, along with the keys to a Sukhoi Su-15 jet.

“As tragic an accident as you are capable of,” he was told.

“That’s not very much,” he said, as a caution, which was true. His qualifications were efficiency and not dramatics, and anyway no one would give him enough explosives for tragic.

“I hope you’re not sentimental,” someone said, looking over Gagarin’s internally-filed resume. Explaining to a colleague as if the Winter Soldier was an inanimate fixture, he went on: "Had to give Gagarin the old pants-off state anthem, in 1960."

"Well, why don't you ask him."

“I’m not,” said the Winter Soldier, interrupting. "I wasn't here in 1960." 

They laughed at that, and shook their heads at him, and approved his plan before picking a copilot and sending him out with fond and untroubled sarcasm. 

"This one has a cold heart," they joked over the radio when he confirmed the success of his assignment. 

In 1970 the Winter Soldier had not heard of Yuri Gagarin. 


End file.
